Bible Commentaries

Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

Proverbs 27

Introduction

Section IV., Proverbs 25-29.—The title of this section adds to the tradition of a Solomonic collection of proverbs the further tradition of literary activity in the time of Hezekiah. The same general considerations hold good of this section as of Proverbs 10-24. (See Introduction.) It also shows signs of compilation, and falls into two divisions: (a) Proverbs 25:2 to Proverbs 27:22, and (b) Proverbs 28 f., separated by a discourse in Proverbs 27:23-27.


Verses 1-27

Proverbs 27:1-22. A collection of aphorisms on various subjects.

Proverbs 27:3. cf. Sirach 22:14 f. The comparison suggests that "vexation" is out of place. It is the fool that is a bore, not his anger.

Proverbs 27:4 a Lit. "ruthlessness of wrath, torrent of anger," or "wrath is ruthlessness, anger a torrent."

Proverbs 27:6. profuse: a doubtful translation of an obscure Heb. word, although Matthew 26:49 (viz. the force of κατὰ in κατεφίλησεν) is quoted in support. AV "deceitful" depends upon an emendation following the Lat.

Proverbs 27:8. Cheyne finds a reference to the Exile. Toy allows only a general reference to home-sickness.

Proverbs 27:9 b. The Heb. is untranslatable. It may be a scribal corruption of Proverbs 27:7 b. The LXX reads "but the soul is rent by misfortunes," which yields a better sense than Toy grants, if Proverbs 27:9 a be taken as a description of the pleasures of prosperity.

Proverbs 27:10. Three unconnected lines. It is impossible to restore the original form.

Proverbs 27:12. cf. Proverbs 22:3.

Proverbs 27:13. cf. Proverbs 20:16.

Proverbs 27:14. Probably an ironical reference to fulsome public flattery as more injurious than beneficial to its object.

Proverbs 27:15. cf. Proverbs 19:13.

Proverbs 27:16. Corrupt. RV connects it with the preceding couplet. The force of Proverbs 27:16 b is that the woman of Proverbs 27:15 is as difficult to restrain as slippery oil. This is the traditional Jewish exegesis. The LXX disconnects it from Proverbs 27:15, and renders "The north wind is a bitter wind, but by its name is called well-omened."

Proverbs 27:19 a. The lit. rendering, "As water face to face," gives no sense. LXX has "As faces do not resemble faces, so do not the minds of men." Probably we should read, "As face to face, so mind to mind"—i.e. possibly an Oriental equivalent of "quot homines tot sententiæ."

Proverbs 27:20. cf. Proverbs 15:11.

Proverbs 27:23-27. A short poem of five couplets dealing with the value of cattle to the farmer; cf. a somewhat similar fragment of agricultural wisdom in Isaiah 28:23-29.

Proverbs 27:25. cf. Amos 7:1 f. The stages indicated are: (a) the regular hay harvest (in Amos appropriated for taxation), (b) the after growth, (c) the produce of the mountain pastures, which was also stored by the careful farmer.

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